Chongning Zhenjun Temple Archway

Chongning Zhenjun Temple Archway

The Chongning Zhenjun Temple Archway is a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province.

Zhentou Chongning Zhenjun Temple Archway The Chongning Zhenjun Temple Archway is located in Zhentou Village, Shijiazhuang City. According to the relief on the horizontal plaque above the archway, it was built in the 20th year of the Jiajing reign and served as an honorific monument for the Guan Yu Temple. The archway features four pillars, three bays, and three stories with glazed tile roofing. The central bay has a hip-and-gable roof, while the side bays have flush gable roofs, all with single eaves. Below the eaves are five-curved bracket sets. The wooden lintels at the front and back feature eight inscriptions: the front reads “Hao Ran Zheng Qi” (Noble and Righteous Spirit), while the back reads “Shanxi Fu Zi” (Sage of Shanxi). The lower lintel is inlaid with glazed brick tiles, with the front featuring the glazed carved characters “Yi Yong Wu An Wang” (Righteous and Brave Duke of Martial Peace) and the back reading “Chongning Zhenjun Temple.” Between the lintels are inlaid glazed ceramic images of figures and landscapes. The archway is surrounded by stone-carved lotus leaf balustrades and lion-head column capitals, with a central entrance at the front and back. The lower part of the archway is supported by four square stone pillars, with vertical couplets carved on their northern and southern sides. The square stone pillars are flanked by round wooden pillars, with the square ones providing diagonal bracing. At the four corners of the archway, there are four sets of stone-carved lions, two in each set—one above and one below. The archway’s plan view shows a linear arrangement of pillars. This archway boasts a unique design, simple structure, and richly colored paintings. It is the only surviving Ming Dynasty archway in downtown Shijiazhuang and was designated as a key cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province by the Hebei Provincial People's Government in 1993.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hebei Province